As I waded through timid looking classmates, most of whom had transformed back to their recognizable human selves, I felt a power welling up from me that far exceeded anything I’d felt before. It was like I was walking on air. The initial panic I’d felt since I’d started healing Valenthia had abated and I was left feeling invincible. Like I could take on each one of the werewolves that were attacking us and win. I had sensed their presence and confirmed to myself that there were no Dark Legion vamps in the vicinity. At least that was something.
Natalie went ahead of me, making sure our passage to the academy was clear. As we reached the tree beyond which the entrance lay, Natalie was hesitant. “What is it?” I asked, not too concerned if my invisibility shield broke as I didn’t detect any threats around us.
“I’ve never done this before. How do we get inside?” she asked. I placed one hand on the tree, keeping Valenthia supported with the other but it was no good. “Can you help me to hold Val?” I said and as I willingly broke my shield, Rhonen and Xanthe showed up with Sibel between them, barely holding it together.
“Let me help you,” said Rhonen, his teal eyes wide with utter concern as they settled on Valenthia. He moved in front of us and placed both hands on that enchanted part of the tree bark, allowing us access back into Silverstone Academy.
Our principal was waiting for us on the other side with a troubled air about her. There were a couple of professors I’d seen about the place but never properly met, who stood behind her. “What’s going on out there?” she asked as I wondered how she knew as much as she did. My question was answered as a pair of electric wings whizzed past me out of thin air. It was Cirro and she buzzed around the principle’s shoulder and up to her ear. “Thanks, Cirro. And I hope all of Silver Scape’s inhabitants are back there now?” asked Principal Silverstone. The wood sprite buzzed something else into the principal’s ear and she nodded approvingly, “Good,” she said with her eyes never leaving Valenthia.
“Should we get her to the infirmary?” asked Rhonen. Sibel burst into tears.
“We need to get her somewhere comfortable,” replied Principal Silverstone keeping an even voice, “but I’ll be lying if I say we’ll know what to do to help her next.”
“If it’s okay with you Principal Silverstone, can I take her to our room,” I said quickly taking my chance. Valenthia needed blood and the only way that would happen was if she was with us. No matter how tolerant a host Silverstone Academy had been to us so far, there was no way anyone would be cool with any of us drinking blood on the premises, it had been made clear. Principal Silverstone stared at me, her expression unreadable so I added, “I was healing her in the woods and I want to continue my work.”
“Yes, in that case, of course!” said Principal Silverstone and Sibel’s sobs broke out again.
“I swear it all happened so quickly,” she cried, “and Valenthia saved my life. I wouldn’t even have seen them coming,” she sniffed.
“We’ve all had a big shock tonight,” said the principal as she waved me to proceed to our dorm room, “Why don’t we all re-group to talk about this. My office in an hour. I’ll check in on our ailing student before then,” she ordered as Natalie and I proceeded with Valenthia, followed by Sibel’s wails that could be heard up and down the hallway.
We laid Valenthia down on her bed and I breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw her wound had further healed. “It must be her vampire self,” I commented to Natalie.
“To an extent. But without you I don’t think she’d be here right now,” said Natalie, “even vampires can only repair so much damage and werewolves can be very dangerous to us.” I found this strangely ironic seeing as it was vampires who had subjugated werewolves to do their bidding. But then again, from what I knew from Ulric, these wolves had been groomed, brainwashed as children. To have their own strengths turned against them and in favour of their masters.
As Valenthia slipped in and out of consciousness, I slunk down on my own bed to process everything that had happened. “Before coming to class, I went to see Moldark again,” I filled Natalie in as she sat on the bed next to Valenthia. She’d been deep in thought but my admission snapped her right out.
“Kat!”
“I’m glad I did,” I retorted, “he gave me more blood – which Val really needs.”
“I guess,” Natalie agreed. She turned and lifted up Valenthia’s now ruby-stained and shredded t-shirt and examined her injury like a doctor or healer would do, “I don’t understand this,” she concluded after scrutinizing it.
“What?”
“Usually when a vampire is mortally wounded like this, there are only two outcomes,” said Natalie. I shuddered thinking that yet again, the worst-case scenario had almost unfolded for one of my friends because they were here with me.
“So that means she’ll get better, right?” I asked, getting up from the bed that felt too lumpy underneath me. I moved off to the bathroom and switched on the light, which was soft and forgiving but nonetheless, artificial. I retrieved three bottles of blood then put one back. Mine would have been an indulgence and we needed to save as many as we could for Valenthia. I offered Natalie a bottle and after some hesitation, she took it. She still hadn’t answered my question. I opened the other bottle and looked for a way to feed it to Valenthia.
Taking my cue, Natalie went over to Valenthia and propped her up. “Put it to her lips, she should be able to drink it.” I did as she asked and Valenthia instantly began drinking as her lips met the crimson liquid that I poured in a slow trickle. She continued to drink until the bottle was empty. “At least she still has her appetite,” I said uneasily.
As soon as the blood was done and Natalie placed Valenthia back down on the bed, she was out cold. She no longer moved in and out awareness like she had done since being attacked and I suddenly felt anxiety worming its’ way from my stomach and into my chest. “She’s asleep, right?” I asked despite my own instinct. The witch within me wanted to feel for a pulse, or check that she was breathing but the Sanguine in me knew better as our vital signs were almost nil when we were sleeping.
We both startled as there was a loud knock on the door and Natalie and I glanced at each other and then she eyed her bottle of blood guiltily. She snuck back towards the bathroom to hide it as I made my way to the door. I peeked through the tiny peep-hole and true to her word it was Principal Silverstone and along with her, Professor Norden and Rhonen. To my shock, I also spotted a blur of vibrant blue, no bigger than a couple of inches. Cirro was with them too.
“How are you girls?” asked the principal as she and her little team stepped into the room.
“Okay,” I replied, although it was far from the truth.
“No formalities are needed here,” said Principal Silverstone with a sympathetic smile, lingering at the entrance while Cirro buzzed straight past and into the room. “You’re not okay. And that’s okay,” said Principal Silverstone proceeding to Valenthia’s bedside as I stood by the door, letting the rest of them inside. Rhonen looked forlorn but I noticed that his expression lit up once he spotted Natalie who’d re-emerged from the bathroom. She looked renewed which meant she’d decided to down the blood. Probably a good choice given the circumstances.
“I want to say upfront that we – as Silver Shadows – have no experience whatsoever in vampire emergency medicine and traumatic injuries,” announced Professor Norden. No shit, I thought feeling an impulse of rage go through me. If it wasn’t bad enough that I had a dark as hell vampire to hunt, one of my best friends had been attacked and the only place where I could seek help was the very place that was out of bounds. At least for my friends who were now runaways because of me. How did I get myself and those I cared for into these situations?
“We’ll do all we can,” replied Principal Silverstone, “but it’s true, we’re no experts. And that’s why Cirro has been kind enough to come along and take a look.”
“What can she do?” I asked and the wood sprite spun around and poin
ted at me, humming away with as much derision as a creature barely larger than an insect could summon up.
“In ancient times, wood sprites were part of a team of supernatural allies who were the gatekeepers between dark and light,” said Principal Silverstone with her shimmering sapphire eyes watching Valenthia. Cirro said something in her ear, gesturing wildly with her arms. “She’s asking to see Valenthia’s wound,” translated the principal. Natalie silently abided and we all let out a collective gasp. Where only moments before we’d fed her the blood, Valenthia’s abdomen had been a gauzy mass of coagulated blood that had been healing, albeit at a faster rate than a mortal but slow for a vampire, the skin was now unbroken. What was disturbing was what it bore in place of the injury.
“What is that?” I asked unable to look away, like if I stared long enough, I’d make sense of what I saw. It was a marking of some kind, tattooed on her stomach like a deep mauve bruise.
“Just as Cirro suspected,” said Principal Silverstone, “she calls it the mark of the devil,” she said the words slowly and with emphasis.
“But a werewolf can’t do that – can they?” asked Rhonen.
“Not by themselves, unless their bite has been laced with dark magic,” said Principal Silverstone, “she was targeted for some reason.” Cirro whirled tentatively, between Valenthia and the principal. “Her wound?” enquired Principal Silverstone.
“It was bleeding profusely,” Professor Norden cut in, “I saw it myself, Savina. She wouldn’t have survived if Kat hadn’t used her power.” Cirro buzzed something else into the principal’s ear.
“Hmm,” said Principal Silverstone, looking at me. I sensed a slight hesitation. “It seems like she was attacked to get your attention,” she said exhaling out a sharp breath, “without your healing, she’d have suffered her final death in the forest.”
“So, they made sure that even with my help, she’d be…like this,” I said as the pieces came together.
“Yes,” replied Principal Silverstone as Cirro nodded furiously in confirmation. “And Cirro says that the only way to revive her from this state she’s in,” she chose her words carefully, “will be to seek out how to reverse the dark magic. They’re trying to draw you out in any way possible. And, Kellum Bathory is only the tip of the iceberg.”
Chapter 16
“My dad once told me,” said Natalie after a pause, “that there are very rare instances when a vampire experiences what’s called the ‘Soporatus Spell’. It’s the stuff of legends for us Novus vamps, really. Until now, I thought he was just telling stories.”
“What’s that?” asked Principal Silverstone.
“It’s when a vampire lies dormant like this,” answered Natalie.
“Is she in a coma?” asked Rhonen.
“Kind of but not exactly,” Natalie smiled, “there’s no real equivalent for it and as I said, it’s virtually unheard of even amongst vampires. But it’s related to dark magic.”
I was about to blurt out that Valenthia had been in and out of consciousness until she’d had the blood but held my tongue until our guests had gone. Cirro fluttered past me as if she’d heard my internal thought process and batted up against the bathroom door, which was thankfully shut tight. Natalie shot me a nervous glance and I remembered something that made my blood run cold. “Principal Silverstone?” I said taking a huge breath in for what I was about to say.
“Yes?” asked the principal and Cirro made a bee-line towards her, giving me a fierce look and reeling off something in her ear. “That’s because they’re vampires, I take it?” she said distractedly as we both vied for her attention.
“Do the vampires of the area know that Silverstone Academy is somewhere within Unterlicht Forest?” I asked making sure I gave as little as possible away about the fact that I’d spilled to Moldark about the place’s existence. Cirro buzzed something else into her ear. While I was thankful for her insight about Valenthia’s injury-turned-dark-magic tattoo, she was getting to be really annoying.
“Yes,” replied Professor Norden, seeing how Cirro had our principal’s ear, “of course, they don’t know the exact co-ordinates and how to gain access. We wouldn’t be here if they did. Why do you ask?”
“Just trying to make sense of everything,” I replied, realizing that there was no reason to disappear down a rabbit hole of justifying myself and my meeting with Moldark. “I’m going to seek out a cure for her,” I said instead.
“We should have known they’d use under-handed tactics like dark magic to lure you further,” said the principal thoughtfully.
“It’s not your fault,” I said, surprised at how much ownership she took of my situation. Something no one else had ever done.
“Leave it with me,” she said, deep in contemplation as Cirro floated above her right shoulder. I wasn’t sure how the pack could help me. If any of them ever came with me when I went to finally meet with a member of the Sanguine Guild, they’d literally be dead on arrival.
“Have you had any news on Professor Frewin?” I asked, remembering that Safi hadn’t mentioned him recently either. But she had mentioned Samantha Silverstone and I felt myself suddenly concerned about her safety too.
“We’re working on it,” replied Professor Norden, “supernatural prisons are a one-shot only rescue attempt. Which means it has to go right or there are disastrous consequences for the rescue-team and those being rescued.”
“Would it help if we try and get my friends at Superno on board?” I said, thinking out loud.
“It’s too big a risk,” answered Professor Norden as soon as I’d said it, “no offense but how do we know your friends won’t stab us in the back?”
“I know it’s hard but I trust them,” I said knowing how lame it sounded. There was a silence and everyone appeared deeply absorbed in thought. Apart from Cirro who buzzed around helping herself to taking in the nooks and crannies of our room. I wondered what she was thinking. “I heard of what happened outside Lupine’s,” I carefully let the words out. That got Principal Silverstone’s attention immediately. “I meant to ask you if you’ve been in contact with Samantha?”
“Where did you hear that?” she asked stunned.
“My friend Safi told me,” I said, “she actually wanted to come with us to help me but Professor Frewin didn’t let her.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s Pearl Quartz’s daughter,” I said and both the principal and professor’s jaws almost dropped open.
“You mean, the Saffron Quartz?” Principal Silverstone finally said and I nodded, “I wish he had let her come. And as for Samantha – I don’t wish to discuss the matter any further.”
“Do you think we can trust Saffron?” asked Professor Norden pensively, looking to his leader and not me.
“Talk to her,” said Principal Silverstone, interlacing her fingers and steepling her index fingers together, pointing them in my direction.
“And with your permission, I’m going to request to meet with someone in the Sanguine Guild as soon as I can,” I said feeling bold because there was no other alternative, “if they want my attention, they’ve got it.” It sounded so courageous but inside, it wasn’t courage I felt but a fear that if I didn’t use myself as the bait that I clearly was, more of my friends and innocent people would be the ones to suffer.
“You have my permission,” nodded Principal Silverstone, “but before you venture out, please come by to my office, I want to give you something.”
As the principal and her little entourage took to leave, there was a knock on the door. Natalie opened it and let Ulric in. He looked flustered and as he realized we weren’t alone, his eyebrows raised in alarm. I zoned into his mind and it was a whirlwind of conflict, chaos and grief. It was about his sister and he stared at me, urging me to read him. I gave a gentle nod of my head so he knew I was already reading him. In an instant, I knew it was Winnie who had attacked Valenthia. And the same poison that had put our friend in that uncertain and inert state had taken Ulric�
�s sister’s life. His eyes held an ocean of grief that needed to flow.
“What happened?” asked Principal Silverstone, picking up on Ulric’s distress. It was hard not to. When he said nothing she asked, “Has another student been hurt?” I could tell that she was beginning to think the worst. Ulric remained frozen on the spot with his eyes locked with mine. I needed to say something. Anything. Now that Winnie was no more, it made little sense to out her as a member of the Dark Legion despite what she’d done to Valenthia. She’d been a pawn. There was a bigger picture to unravel and exposing Ulric’s family secrets at a time like this didn’t serve any purpose.
“It’s Val,” I said. Natalie, Rhonen and even Ulric looked at me in astonishment. “Her and Ulric were close,” I stated sure that it sounded as much of a lie as it was.
“Oh like…dating?” asked Rhonen and the tension that had been so palpable up until then, dissipated a little.
“Exactly,” I said and the grief that Ulric had had to swallow down since the minute he’d entered our room spilled from within him as he turned his face and began to sob.
“I’m sorry,” tried Principal Silverstone and Professor Norden nodded silently, staring at the ground.
“Sorry, man,” said Rhonen patting Ulric’s back, “I never realized, especially seeing as you’re with Kat and the girls are all such great buds.”
“It’s okay,” I said feeling relief that my lie had worked to take attention away from Ulric. At least it had in one way. I could only picture the gossip in the food hall the next day but it was nothing, relatively speaking.
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